Bed Days

A pounding headache shook me awake from the deepest of nightmares... I only remember gunshots, and then a steady pounding at the back of my skull, drowning out any further thoughts of sleep. I sat awake for hours, trying to breathing deeply, willing myself into a meditative trance... willing the pain to stop, praying to sleep, to pass out, anything... but there was only the pounding, waves of nausea, and a steady, pouring rain storm that shook my window and made the wind chimes scream. By six AM I found my migraine medicine, a dark green bottle I had left in Colin's room the night before; I swallowed more pills that I should have and crawled back into bed with strong tea and dark rye bread, vowing to hide under the covers for the rest of the day. That was lucky, because Colin's car died in the middle of traffic on his way to the hospital, forcing him to wait amidst angry, honking drivers and bone-chilling wind for AAA to jar it back to life. I woke up mid-afternoon to shower and register for next year's clerkships... the bathroom was flooded and the server was down. My scrubs are still soaked, waving pitifully on the clothesline after four days of rain; a long-awaited friend hasn't called and I have allowed my mood to darken inconsolably. There are days when we should all just stay in bed... though I do plan on getting up tomorrow.